Because I was poor

If politics was a pageant contest, the question will be, what is your edge over other candidates? Some will showcase their plans on livelihoods, others will propose ways to end poverty, and there will be those who will brag about their poor life in their early years.

There is nothing wrong with being poor in the past and wanting to serve the public now. These politicians have seen the real face of poverty compared to those who were born with a silver spoon in their mouths. Ideally, through their experience, these politicians are more capable of understanding the scenario of having less to none in life; they are the ones most ignited to uplift the conditions of the poor.

However, there are just some candidates who are so desperate to rub their former poor life in our faces. In fact, they become desperate enough to even spend millions on prime time advertisements, just to get the message through: I was poor before. I can relate with those who are unable eat three times in a day, those with no jobs, those who find it hard to go to school. It is all thanks to these politicians that we, the poor people, are so inspired to run for office soon enough, too.

Wouldn’t it be better if these politicians would boast about their track record and experience instead? Or better yet, equip that record with their educational background and what they have done so far other than their messianic promises. Because in the realm of politics, what a politician says to sell himself is sometimes true yet often exaggerated.

At this point of our being Filipino, do we still have that mindset wherein we vote for those with the most dramatic lives? How many decades have we been hearing that ever-famous-tagline Tapusin natin ang kahirapan? How long will we remain in awe of cliché campaign ads shot at a sari-sari store with pretend-vendors smiling from ear to ear?

Enough is enough. It’s about time we select leaders with knowledge, skills and good intentions over those who say they can relate with the poor. Otherwise, we shall always remain poor when it comes to making smart choices and informed decisions.